Friday, February 22
Irvine, CA
12:30 PM
UCLA
vs
Long Beach State
Jahmea Bent is fourth in the MPSF in saves per game with an average of 8.09 per game.
Photo by: Minette Rubin
No. 3 UCLA Heads to Irvine for Barbara Kalbus Invitational
February 21, 2019 | Women's Water Polo
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LOS ANGELES โ No. 3 UCLA (14-1, 0-0 MPSF) heads to UC Irvine this weekend for the Barbara Kalbusย Invitational (Friday-Sunday, Feb. 22-24).ย The Bruins open Group C play with No. 17 Long Beach State on Friday, Feb. 22 at 12:30 p.m. PT at UCI's Aquatic Center. Also in Group C is No. 6 Michigan and No. 12 Loyola Marymount.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Friday, Feb. 22 (Barbara Kalbusย Invitational - UC Irvine Aquatic Center)
12:30 PM PT โ No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 17 Long Beach State
Saturday, Feb. 23 (Barbara Kalbusย Invitational - UC Irvine Aquatic Center or Corona del Mar HS Pool)
11:45 AM PT โ No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 6 Michigan or No. 12 Loyola Marymount
Recapping Last Week
The third-ranked UCLA Bruins only had one game last week and needed two overtime periods to come out with the victory, defeating No. 7 UC Irvine, 13-10.ย The Bruins were led by freshmanย Ava Johnson, who scored her second hat trick of the seasonย as nine different Bruins got in the scoring column.ย Redshirt seniorย Grace Reegoย and juniorย Maddie Musselmanย each scored two goals for UCLA. Seniorย Carlee Kapanaย started in goal for UCLA, playing the first three periods and the overtime periods and registeredย 11 saves and surrenderedย seven goals.ย Sophomoreย Jahmea Bentย came on in relief in the fourth period, recording two stops and allowedย three scores.
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Best Start for Bruins Since 2008
Before its 10-3 loss to No. 1 USC in the championship game of the Triton Invitational (Feb. 9), the UCLA Bruins opened the 2019 season at 13-0, which is the best start in 11 years. In 2008, the Bruins went 33-0, winning the program's seventh NCAA Championship.
Bruins in the MPSF Stats
Just two Bruins are currently ranked in the top 25 in the MPSF in scoring, led by Maddie Musselman'sย 2.64 goals per game (29 goals in 11 games), which ranks fourth in the league. Freshman Val Ayala ranks 18th with a 1.53 goals per game average (23 goals in 15 games). In the goalie rankings, senior Carlee Kapana ranks 2nd in saves per game (9.70 spg) while sophomore Jahmea Bent ranks 4th (8.09 spg). Kapanaย ranks 3rd in the MPSF in goals against average at 6.40 while Bent ranks seventh at 7.40.
Ava Johnson Named MPSF/KAP7ย Newcomer of the Week
UCLA freshman Ava Johnsonย (Walnut Creek, Calif./Las Lomas HS) was named the MPSF/KAP7ย Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Feb. 19.ย The freshman center led the Bruins in scoring with her second hat trick of the season in a 13-10 overtime win over No. 7 UC Irvine (Feb. 16).ย Johnson scored all three goals on power plays, with the first being the only goal of the second period. She would net the eventual game-winning goal in the first overtime period and would add the final score of the game in the second overtime. Johnson also drew a team-high four exclusions in the win.ย She has scored eight goals in her last five outings after scoring just four goals in her first 10 games.ย This is the first career MPSF honor for Johnson.
Val Ayala Named MPSF/KAP7ย Newcomer of the Week
UCLA freshmanย Val Ayalaย (Anaheim, Calif./Foothill HS) was named the MPSF/KAP7ย Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Jan. 22.ย The freshman attacker led the Bruins in scoring this past weekend as UCLAย went 5-0 with five wins over nationally ranked teams.ย Ayala registered three hat tricks, opening her collegiate career with three scores in a 10-6 win over No. 18 CSUN. She completed another hat trick in another 10-6 win over No. 6 UC Irvine. She tacked on one goal in a 17-8 win over No. 24 Cal Baptist and then scored three more in a 9-7 outcome over No. 9 Michigan.ย In all, Ayala scored 10 goals while collecting three assists, three steals and two drawn exclusions. This is the first career MPSF honor for Ayala.
Coaching Changes
During the offseason, UCLA men's water polo hired Christopher Lee as an assistant coach to replace Dustin Litvak, who was hired to be the head men's water polo coach at Princeton.
Wright on Deck
Adam Wright is in his second season as UCLA's head women's water polo coach in 2019 with an overall record of 37-9 (.804) and an MPSF mark of 2-3 (.400).ย On July 20, 2017, UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wrightย will guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams.
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Recapping 2018
Overall Record: 23-8 |ย Final Ranking: 4th | NCAA Finish: T-3rd |ย MPSFย Tournament Finish: 4th
UCLA advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament in head coach Adam Wright's first season at the helm of the program. The Bruins' 8-4 win over Pacific at USC secured their eighth consecutive appearance in the national semifinals. Sophomore Maddie Musselman secured ACWPC All-America acclaim for the second time in her career. Senior Devin Grab registered her second selection as a second-team All-American. UCLA also saw Bronte Halligan pick up third-team honors while Carlee Kapana was named an honorable mention All-America selection. In total, 12 Bruins claimed ACWPC All-Academic honors.
UCLA In The CWPA Poll
The Bruins remained at No. 3 in the 2019 CWPAย National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (91 points, lost one point), released on Feb. 20.
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ย 2019ย WOMEN'S VARSITY TOP 25 (WEEK 5 - Feb. 20) |
|||
| ย Rank | ย Team | ย Last Week's Poll | ย Points |
| ย 1 | ย USC | ย 1 | ย 100 |
| ย 2 | ย Stanford | ย 2 | ย 96 |
| ย 3 | ย UCLA | ย 3 | ย 91 |
| ย 4 | ย California | ย 4 | ย 87 |
| ย 5 | ย Hawai'i | ย 5 | ย 84 |
| ย 6 | ย Michigan | ย 6 | ย 79 |
| ย 7 | ย UC Irvine | ย 7 | ย 78 |
| ย 8 | ย Arizona State | ย 8 | ย 70 |
| ย 9 | ย UC Santa Barbara | ย 9 | ย 67 |
| ย 10 | ย Pacific | ย 10 | ย 66 |
| ย 11 | ย UC Davis | ย 11 | ย 60 |
| ย 12 | ย Loyola Marymount | ย 12 (T) | ย 56 |
| ย 13 | ย San Jose State | ย 12 (T) | ย 52 |
| ย 14 | ย Princeton | ย 14 | ย 46 |
| ย 15 | ย Fresno State | ย 15 | ย 45 |
| ย 16 | ย Harvard | ย 16 | ย 40 |
| ย 17 (T) | ย Long Beach State | ย 17 (T) | ย 32 |
| ย 17 (T) | ย UC San Diego | ย 17 (T) | ย 32 |
| ย 19 (T) | ย Wagner | ย 19 | ย 26 |
| ย 19 (T) | ย Indiana | ย 20 | ย 26 |
| ย 21 | ย CSUN | ย 21 | ย 19 |
| ย 22 (T) | ย Bucknell | ย 23 | ย 14 |
| ย 22 (T) | ย Marist | ย 22 | ย 14 |
| ย 24 | ย Cal Baptist | ย 24 | ย 10 |
| ย 25 (T) | ย San Diego State | ย 25 | ย 4 |
| ย 25 (T) | ย Azusa Pacific | ย RV | ย 4 |
| ย RV | ย Brown | ย RV | ย 1 |
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
/ Women's Water Polo
CTR
/ Women's Water Polo
GK
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
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